The Brightest Star
by nugget-basket
Summary: Sam Winchester has just started up his vet clinic in Lawrence Kansas, and he runs into the owner of one of his patients, Gabriel Novak. Sam feels a strange magnetism towards Gabriel, not to mention, Gabriel's brother Castiel, and his own brother Dean are hopelessly in love. Sabriel AU with some Destiel
1. Chapter 1

/A little AU where Sam is a vet and Gabriel has a dog xD There's some Destiel in this as well ^^/

Sam Winchester.

Dr Sam Winchester.

Dr Samuel Winchester.

Dr Winchester.

Dr S. Winchester.

Sam stared down at the little list he had made. He didn't want to sound like a prat to his future clients, and at the same time, he wanted to look professional. He doodled uselessly on his favourite post-it pad. It had little paw prints on the edges and had his veterinary clinic's name at the bottom.

"Dr Winchester?" His petite, bespectacled assistant peered around the corner, pushing her glasses further up her freckled nose. Sam smiled kindly at her.

"Just call me Sam, Kasey, c'mon we went to high school together. What's up?"

"We're opening tomorrow and I still need a name for your door, Sam." Kasey beamed at the use of his name.

He held up the list to her and beckoned for her to come inside. He had set up his very own veterinary clinic in the town where he grew up after four years of working at the Lawrence Animal Hospital. Usually, animal hospitals were meant for more serious cases, and Sam could give referrals to animal hospitals nearby. Furthermore, the people there knew him, and trusted him, and Sam figured he'd get by just fine.

"Which do you think is the best one, Kace?"

"Dr Sam Winchester will look awesome, Sam." Kasey smiled at him.

"You're the boss!" Sam laughed.

"Is, um, Dean coming over, Sam?" Kasey asked him, her eyes hopeful. And Sam thought his puppy dog eyes were powerful. Oh, boy.

"Yeah Kace, he is." Sam cast a sly look at her. "Do you wanna join us for lunch?"

"Would I!" Kasey's eyes brightened and then her smile faltered. "Um, I mean, sure!" She scampered out of the room, clipboard clasped to her chest. Sam chuckled. He had grown up with Kasey and he couldn't remember a time when she hadn't had a crush on Dean. His brother simply ignored her, choosing instead to take out the blonde chicks that caught his eye, and parading them in front of poor Kasey. He hated to give her a false hope, like this. But then again, Sam'd never pass up a chance to humiliate Dean.

He helped Kasey prep the clinic to receive clients until lunch, when he got a call from Dean.

"Sammy, I'm outside your clinic."

"Hiya Dean." Sam grinned and waved through the glass to Dean from the waiting room. He gestured for his brother to come in, then hung up. Dean pushed through the door, sighing when the air con hit his slightly red face. Dean was still dressed in his uniform, and he pulled his cap off using it to fan himself.

"Damn Sammy, I hate summer in Lawrence."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You gotta be used to it by now, Dean. We've lived here for what? 26 years now?"

"26 for you, Sam. 28 for me." Dean groaned. "Jesus, I'm getting old."

"Kasey's joining us for lunch by the way." Sam told him in an offhand manner.

"Whaaaa" Dean hissed in a breath as Kasey bounded up to them. "Hey, Kasey." Dean forced an ingratiating smile. Sam elbowed him in the ribs. Classic sibling language for: be nice!

The three of them had a pretty lovely lunch, all things considered. By the time they returned to work Kasey was so happy, she was humming as she arranged the bottles of chemicals and medicines on the shelves. Sam too, was ecstatic. His dreams of owning a clinic were finally coming true and he was pretty damn near in heaven.

Their first day as an official animal clinic went wonderfully smoothly. Sam treated mild cases of the flu and dermatitis, in between the usual check-ups. Things were pretty quiet until the third week. Sam was doing a check up for a rather overly-friendly pitbull who kept trying to lick Sam's face while he was checking his gums, which really slowed things down for Sam. He was still laughing as he finally sent the dog and owner on their way, trying to clean his face of dog drool with a wet wipe.

A resounding knock startled Sam, and he called out, "Come on in."

"Dr Winchester?" Sam turned to see a man at his door with a beautiful golden retriever at his feet. The man was much shorter than Sam, which was usual because most people were shorter than Sam, but he didn't feel like it. He seemed to fill the room almost, with a huge grin that lit up his face and everything around him. His eyes were a flashing mix of green and gold, and they twinkled at Sam merrily, as if sharing an inside joke.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Sam felt oddly disconnected, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from the stranger's inviting eyes. One long, awkward moment later, the stranger cleared his throat with an amused smirk, and Sam jumped out of his reverie, cheeks flushed.

"Yes, alright, let's get this guy up on the examining table." Sam noted that the dog seemed to get up there with some difficulty. "What's his name?" Sam asked the man standing in front of him.

"Loki." Loki's owner smiled, with some concern, down at his dog, stroking his silky fur.

Sam snapped himself into focus and took inventory. The dog seemed to be about two years old, and lethargic. Not at all the way most golden retrievers his age acted.

He began with the basic questions.

"Are his eating habits normal?"

"He's been eating a lot less lately." The owner supplied. "And he vomits a lot."

Vomiting, lessened appetite.

"His stools?"

"Diarrhea."

As Sam asked questions, he checked the dog thoroughly, taking his temperature and listening to his heart beat. He noted discharge in the eye and significant muscle tremors.

The answer was clear, and Sam felt his heart sink. "I'm afraid your dog has a progressed canine distemper, Mr…"

"Gabriel Novak." The strangers kept his hand on his dog's head, and Loki whined unhappily, feebly licking at his owner's hand.

"I can't do anything for him, but I can make a referral to the Lawrence Animal Hospital. I suggest you go there right away."

"Right." Gabriel Novak nodded, absentmindedly. "Thank you, doc."

Sam reached out a hand without quite thinking about it and squeezed the shorter man's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. The other man didn't even register it, simply gathering the dog's leash and guiding him out of the clinic.

Every dog owner and vet dreaded canine distemper. Vaccination was the only way. Once it took a hold of its victim, it was a sure death scenario. Sam's mind stayed on Loki and his owner, Gabriel for the rest of the week, wondering what had happened.

He got his answer four days later. Sam was walking to the farmer's market at 6am in the morning for some fresh vegetables and meat to cook dinner for his father and Dean. As he turned the corner after buying his groceries, he noticed a familiar figure walking in front of him. Sam's heart lifted before plummeting all the way down into his stomach. There was no dog around Gabriel. The hand that would normally hold the leash was achingly empty.

"Gabriel!" Sam called out before he could stop himself. Gabriel turned around and fixed Sam with a vacant stare before there was a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"Dr Winchester." Gabriel gave Sam a small smile, a shadow of the wonderful grin Sam remembered so clearly.

"Call me Sam, please." Sam waved him off, and glanced at Gabriel, a dull ache in his chest. The smaller man looked tiny in his grief. Where he once used to stand tall, he was hunched and looked every one of his years.

"Gabriel, I'm so sorry." Sam began. "I know it's hard."

"I know I only had him for two years, but he was my best friend." Gabriel said softly.

"C'mon." Sam slung an arm around him. "Let's go make you some breakfast."

"Sam, you don't have to-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Sam assured him.

Gabriel sighed, and let Sam guide him over to his car. Soon, they were back at Sam's house, a small one a stone's throw from the clinic. Gabriel followed Sam into the kitchen and helped unpack the groceries.

"You know what?" Sam looked at Gabriel.

"What?" Gabriel smiled up at Sam, his golden eyes sparkling with a piece of the sun.

"You seem to me like a pancakes and maple syrup kinda guy." Sam held up a box of pancake mix.

Gabriel squealed with delight. In the short time Sam had spent with the guy, he realized how refreshingly simplistic and child-like Gabriel was. He had a love for life that Sam hadn't seen since his college days. It was obvious he missed his dog, but it was almost as if he believed Loki was with him in some small way. As Sam flipped pancakes, he watched Gabriel sit at the breakfast nook and run his fingers over Loki's old dog tag. He whipped up two plates pancakes and set one in front of Gabriel, along with a bottle of maple syrup and a can of whipped cream. "Help yourself."

Gabriel laughed and doused his pancakes generously with maple syrup, adding a precarious mountain of whipped cream. Sam was pretty impressed with the way his companion scarfed down the ridiculously sweet confections. "Man, you really like your sweet stuff don't you?"

Gabriel snickered. "Used to annoy my brother to no end."

Sam shook his head. "You and my brother are both going to get a heart attack soon at this rate. Nothing will make Dean eat a salad over a greasy cheeseburger."

The look of horror Gabriel gave Sam made him nearly choke on a morsel of pancake. "Never!"

The two finished breakfast, and Gabriel helped him with the dishes, telling incredible stories of his travels and of his adventures in college. Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard since Jess got into that car accident his last year of college. It felt good, spending all this time with Gabriel. He was really a breath of fresh air, if that air smelled suspiciously like candy.

Sam was sorry to see the last of the dishes get stacked in the dishwasher.

Gabriel stuffed his hands in his coat. "I'd better go."

"I hope you feel better about Loki." Sam told him, walking him out to the porch.

Gabriel gave him a small smile. "I feel better now. Thank you, Sam."

"Anytime, Gabriel."

Sam watched the figure walk away, heartened at how he seemed back to his larger-than-life, energized self. Sam couldn't understand what gave him that restless energy and enormous smile that was so mesmerizing to Sam. "Maybe it's all that candy." Sam mused aloud, as he walked back into his house and started to put groceries away.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam hugged John Winchester as he walked through the door, clutching a bottle of homemade lemonade.

"Aw Dad." Sam grinned, fondly. "Your lemonade's the best."

John pat his son on the back gruffly. The Winchesters had been treading on glass whenever family get-togethers were involved. This had been the first one since John had last fallen off the wagon. After their mother's death, things had never been the same, with their father falling into bouts of depression, tending to drink his way through them instead of asking for help. He would proclaim to be clean for a couple of months, then fall off again. Today marked the one year anniversary of John's sobriety and both Winchester brothers had been determined to celebrate.

Soon, they were all seated, holding up glasses of lemonade.

"To Dad." Dean toasted. Sam echoed the toast and they all drank down their glasses, thirstily.

"Nothing better than ice cold lemonade in the middle of summer." John smiled at his sons. Secretly he was grateful to have their support in keeping away from liquor. God knows they were the only reason he was even trying to sober up for good.

They began digging into the rosemary marinated roasted chicken Sam had made with a side of salad and vinaigrette.

"So I met this new guy, Gabriel Novak. You guys know him?"

Dean waved his fork in the air, talking through a mouthful of food. "Oh yeah, I know his brother."

"Please chew and swallow first." Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's lack of table manners.

Dean swallowed and flicked an olive at Sam. "Bitch."

Sam gave him his signature bitch-face. "Jerk."

"His brother, Castiel Novak, works in the admin department in the Lawrence P.D." Dean said in a suspiciously indifferent manner.

"And?"

Dean paused, fork halfway up to his mouth. "What?"

Sam stared at him, curiously. He had heard from his father that out of the blue, two months after he joined the police force, Dean had stopped bringing home women. That was nearly a year ago, after he got out of Cadet School.

"There something you're not telling me, big bro?" Sam teased, sharing a wink with his father.

Dean scowled. "We're good friends, is all."

"Didn't you bring him over once?" John inquired.

Sam sprung on this piece of information like a cat on a ball of wool.

"Dean's got a booooooyfrienddd!" Sam sang. Even John laughed.

"He's not…" Dean sighed, uncharacteristically non-defensive of his masculinity for once.

"What's he like, Dad?" Sam asked his father.

"Kind of weird. Really stares at you. Well, stares more at Dean of course." John gave his son a trademark smirk. It was easy to see where Dean even got it from.

"Seriously though, Dean." Sam looked at his brother over the rim of his glass solemnly. "Do you like this Castiel?"

Dean muttered something about more lemonade, and got up.

"Lemonade's over here son!" John called out, gesturing to the bottle that stood in the middle of the table. He turned to Sam chuckling. "Your brother's head over heels, Sammy."

"Figures." Sam laughed.

"So how's that clinic going?"

Sam beamed. "It's going really well Dad. I love the work."

Dean flopped back into his chair with a pout, silently reaching for the lemonade bottle. Sam made eye contact with his brother, and they burst out laughing.

As the three laughed and ate together, Sam couldn't help but feel a warm glow in his stomach. Things had finally turned out alright. Their dad was gonna be okay.

Monday morning saw very few patients walk into Sam's clinic, and they were basic cases. Most of Sam's time was spent reading his veterinary journals and working on a novel that he was writing about being a small town vet. He had planned for it to be mostly fictional but drawn on his experiences as a vet. Right now though, he was just staring blankly at the screen of his computer, sitting in his tiny office behind the examination room. There was just enough space for two people to sit at his desk, and Sam was thinking of going out for an early lunch when Kacey knocked and opened his door.

"Sam, there's someone in the waiting room, for you. Says his name's Gabriel."

Sam's face split into an easy smile. "Send him in Kace! And go on out for an early lunch."

"Alrighty Sam." Kasey left, and Gabriel entered.

"Hey Sam!" Gabriel grinned and held up a picnic basket. "I brought lunch."

Sam chuckled. "Sit down, Gabriel. This is unexpected."

"I try." Gabriel winked at him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He sat down and opened the picnic basket. He took out ham and cheese sandwiches and two large pieces of chocolate cake. Sam smiled. To him it felt so very Gabriel. A tiny dose of practicality mixed in with a lot of chocolate. Sam watched his friend's liquid gold eyes scan the food then flick to Sam for a sign of approval.

Sam picked up a sandwich. "This looks awesome Gabriel."

"I wanted to thank you for the breakfast the other day." Gabriel told him.

"Well, lunch is on me tomorrow then." Sam hinted, with a hopeful glint in his hazel eyes.

Gabriel nodded enthusiastically, tucking in.

From then on, lunch with Gabriel became a daily thing. They talked about everything under the sun. Gabriel told him about his brother Castiel, and Sam shared how Dean had talked about Castiel, and together they devised extraordinary plans to get the two of them to admit their feelings to one another.

"I swear," Gabriel giggled, "You should just see the way Castiel talks about Dean. You'd think he put the stars in the sky."

"Dean just starts blushing and evading every time I ask him about Castiel." Sam rolled his eyes.

"You know, for laughs, we could get them to join us for dinner and not tell them the other is coming. I bet with lots of wine, they'd reveal their feelings to each other!"

"You know what? Let's do it." Sam leaned forward with a conspiratorial air.

Gabriel's smile widened. "I'm in."

As they ate, Sam noticed Gabriel reach into his pocket and pull out something metallic and shiny, squeezing it tightly in his palm, as if he didn't even know he was doing it.

"Still miss Loki?"

Gabriel snapped up, startled. "Huh?"

"The dog tag." Sam took a bite of his sandwich.

Gabriel's gaze faltered. "Yeah, well."

Sam sighed. "I've seen a lot of pets pass away when I was working at the animal hospital. Sometimes, they'd pass away naturally, other times they'd have to be put down. It never mattered though; the hardest thing was seeing the owners. They'd sit there for hours, some of them, never moving. Others would just cry."

Gabriel picked at his sandwich. "Loki had to be put down. I stayed with him the entire time. I knew it was peaceful and all, but it was hard, you know? Watching him slip away like that. It was as easy as going to sleep, but I knew he wasn't ever going to wake up."

Sam didn't think he could make the other feel any better with mere words. Instead, they just ate in companionable silence.

The next night, Sam dragged Dean over to his house, saying that he wanted him to meet Gabriel. Grumbling, Dean dressed in a suit, and helped Sam get dinner on the table. Sam pulled out a bottle of red wine, and set it in the wine cooler. He heard the doorbell ring, and hurried to open it, grinning at the thought of seeing Gabriel.

Gabriel and Castiel stood outside. Gabriel too was in a suit, and a stray thought in Sam's mind surfaced: Damn he looks good in a suit. Sam cleared his throat, and ushered the two inside, taking Gabriel's and Castiel's coats. Underneath the tan trench coat, Castiel was dressed in a suit with a blue tie that was exactly the colour of his deep blue eyes. He shook Sam's hand with a solemn gravity that immediately warmed him to Sam's heart. Just then, Dean walked out into the foyer where they were all standing.

"Sam, did I hear the doorbell?" Dean stopped short the moment he laid eyes on Castiel and offered a weak smile. "Hey, Cas."

Castiel looked equally embarrassed. "Hello, Dean."

Sam and Gabriel shared a knowing smirk and they all sat around the table. Sam filled up all their glasses and as they began to eat, he started by asking the questions about what Castiel worked as and how he knew Dean, all the while plying him with vast quantities of wine.

"So, is Dean any good as a cop?" Sam teased.

Castiel answered his question gravely. "Dean is one of the best. I think he is due for a promotion to detective soon."

Sam grinned, genuinely proud of his brother. "Wow. To Dean, then."

Castiel drank from his glass, his eyes watching Dean intently.

Gabriel nudged Sam under the table and winked, making Sam nearly choke on his drink.

As they ate, Gabriel regaled them with another one of his misadventures. "I was in college and it was a Friday night."

Dean groaned. "Friday nights man, they were the worst."

Gabriel snickered. "Anyway, everyone's down to party right? So, I had a bunch of weed, and I was driving over to my friend's place where I get pulled over by a cop."

"Holy shit." Sam laughed.

"The cop looks at me and he says 'That weed?' I told him the truth obviously, partly because I had smoked a little before, and was pretty high. The cop just gives me this look and says, 'Pass some over, kid.' And we just stood there, and smoked some weed before he let me go."

Sam and Dean broke out into fits of mirth, while Castiel just stared dreamily at Dean, like the sound of his laugh was the most melodious sound in the world. Sam wondered if Castiel was even aware he was doing it.

After dinner, both Castiel and Dean were quietly drunk, sitting together on the couch, talking and laughing as lovers do, wrapped up in their own little bubble. Gabriel helped Sam clear up as they laughed about the way Castiel and Dean were curled up around each other on Sam's couch. As Sam put away the last dish, Gabriel took Sam's hand and led him to the back porch to look at the stars.

"You know, I just realized, you never told me what you work as." Sam told him, curiously.

"I run a child-care centre." Gabriel took a sip of wine.

Sam smiled at that. He could imagine Gabriel laughing with an armful of kids hanging off him. The image filled him with a sort of pleasurable feeling he attributed to the wine.

"I think my brother's in love with yours, Sam." Gabriel grinned at Sam as they sat on the porch steps, sipping glasses of wine.

"Dean's…difficult. I don't think he'd admit to anything that easily."

Gabriel stared up at the night sky, an index finger circling the rim of his glass. "You know that feeling, Sam? When you look at someone, and there's just something different?"

Sam glanced at Gabriel. "Yeah, Gabe. I think I know what you mean."

"It's like looking up at that night sky, full of stars, and seeing one that's so freaking bright, you just forget about all the other stars." Gabriel smiled, his face turned towards the heavens. Sam wanted to kiss him, right there and then. Gabriel looked ethereally beautiful. Sam looked at him, and saw the brightest star he had ever known, right there in front of him.

But he didn't do a thing. And as Gabriel dragged a tottery Castiel out into the warm night air, he threw a careless smile back at Sam, the night breeze rippling through his hair, his eyes sparkling and his smile filled with light from the inside. Sam pictured Gabriel like that as he fell asleep that night, even as his brother snored on his couch, a floor below him. He slipped away into slumber with a smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

It was nearly lunchtime, and Sam was anxious to see Gabriel. Something between them had changed in a very subtle way, but Sam didn't bother wasting time questioning it. Well, not now anyway. He was too excited to see Gabriel and was trying to channel his energy into writing. He gazed at what he'd written so far, blankly.

'There are two very different sides to being a vet. Often people think you're basically catering to animal patients only. But somehow, their owners become your patients too. They start calling you, asking your advice on the simplest things, like whether they should let their dogs mate, and if a purple discoloration on their tongues is natural. They call me to ask if they should cut their guinea pigs' nails or just get them a salt rock. The most common call I get from all my cat owners is if they should be concerned that their cats have a thing for eating grass, as insane as that might sound.'

Sam leaned back in his seat, letting his legs stretch out in front of him, then winced when they hit the bottom edge of the desk, hard. Kasey popped her head in after knocking, her black spectacles perched precariously on the edge of her nose. "We've got a patient waiting for you in the examining room, Sam."

"Be right there, Kasey." Sam got up and grabbed his stethoscope, entering the exam room.

"Hi there." He greeted the elderly man that stood there with his overly excited English Bulldog, cheerfully.

"Hello, Dr Winchester." As he shook hands with Sam, he introduced himself. "I'm Nicholas Carnaby."

Kasey helped Sam get the wriggling dog up on the examining table. "Who's this lovely dog then?" Sam asked, an arm tightly wound around the dog to stop him from jumping off the table.

"Her name is Stacey." The old man broke into a smile as he looked at his dog.

"What seems to be the problem, Mr Carnaby." Sam's hands roamed the dog's fur, mentally ticking off his checklist. There were no tumors, temperature normal, nothing major, just these spots of rashes which Mr Carnaby pointed out.

"Has she been biting or scratching herself a lot lately?"

Mr Carnaby frowned. "Now that you mention it, yes she has been scratching a lot."

Sam smiled, happy to come to an easy diagnosis. "It's just a case of moist dermatitis, or hot spots. It's fairly simple to treat, really."

Sam started by shaving the area affected. He was grateful that Mr Carnaby had brought the dog to him before the situation could get worse. For now, the rash was about the size of Sam's palm. He then cleansed the area, prescribed a cool compress, an oral antibiotic and a topical spray and sent dog and owner on their way. By the time Sam was done, Gabriel was waiting for him in the waiting room, talking with Kasey. Even Kasey seemed to notice something was up, because she giggled when Sam joined them.

"Kasey, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Kasey stammered. "Uh, I, uh, I can't doc, I gotta….uhm, file, some stuff." She winked at Gabriel and hurried off into the back room. Sam stared after her, puzzled.

"What's up with her?" Sam asked Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged, his mouth twitching like he desperately wanted to laugh, but Sam pushed it to the back of his mind as they walked to a nearby Italian restaurant for lunch.

As they finished up, Sam called for the bill, and pulled out his wallet to pay, not noticing when a picture fell out. Gabriel picked it up, and lifted his eyes to Sam. There was something in his eyes that Sam couldn't really place.

"Who is she?" Gabriel asked, softly. "She's beautiful."

Sam took the photo and looked at it. It was a photo of him and Jess, right before she died. He had his arm around her and they were both smiling at the camera.

"She was." Sam smiled, heavily.

Gabriel's golden eyes softened. "Was…?"

"She died in a car wreck."

"Oh, Sam. I'm so sorry." Gabriel's brow clouded up.

"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago."

"She meant a lot to you huh?"

"She was my fiancée."

Gabriel said nothing, only offered Sam a chocolate bar, which he took, smiling.

Gabriel walked Sam back to the clinic. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sam."

"See you, Gabe." Gabriel's fingers lingered on his arm, then he was gone, walking away. Sam stood, waiting. Just as he'd anticipated, Gabriel threw a backward glance, grinning widely when he saw Sam still standing there.

'There we go.' Sam smiled to himself, walking back into the clinic.

He resumed his writing until he had a new patient, a little boy of about 6 carrying a tiny, yapping puppy. He was followed closely by his mother. She smiled at Sam apologetically.

"Hiya doc!" The little boy flashed him a wide and cheeky smile, gently setting his puppy down on the exam table, his hand on the writhing mound of fur.

"Hi doctor. My name's Kelly, this is my little boy, Frankie. He found this little puppy wandering by our house, the poor thing. We cleant him up, but-"

Frankie interrupted, his eyes mournful. "Mommy says we can't keep him cause Daddy has an algy."

Sam chuckled. "An allergy huh? Well your mom's right Frankie, don't worry, I'll see he goes to someone who'll treat him right." Inwardly, Sam was worried. If he gave the pup to an animal shelter there was no telling how long it would take for adoption. And if the puppy wasn't adopted within three months, he'd have to be put to sleep. That often happened with mongrels like him.

"Meanwhile, you want to help me check him and vaccinate him?"

Frankie was happy to oblige, holding the puppy still, giggling as it licked his hand madly. "What's vaccinate?"

"It's when we give the puppy an injection to help him be stronger." Sam explained.

Frankie made a face. "I had an injection once. I didn't like it."

Sam laughed. "Well, it'll make this little guy stronger, so you gotta be brave for him, okay?" The puppy was small enough to fit in Sam's gigantic hand, and he gently administered all the usual vaccines and performed a routine check-up.

"Looks like he's good to go." Sam smiled. "Thanks for bringing him in. He'll go to someone really special, Frankie, so don't worry."

"Thanks doc!" Frankie kissed the puppy goodbye, and left hand in hand with his mother. Sam kept a small kennel at the back to house dogs that needed to rest overnight, and he made sure the puppy was comfortable with a lot of toys to keep him busy while he tried to find a home for it.

He chewed on a pen idly, while he thought. He wondered if Gabriel had any plans for dinner tonight, and if he should call and invite him over so they could-

Sam sat up straight in his chair. How could he have been such an idiot? The answer was there the entire time!

He showed up to Gabriel's house with a box punched with air holes, and rang the bell. Sam couldn't wait to see Gabriel's face, when he opened his present.

"Sam?" Gabriel held the door open, as Sam rushed inside.

"I've got a present for you, Gabe." Sam grinned, proffering the box.

Bemused, Gabriel opened it right away. His face made all of Sam's anticipation worth it. Shock, amazement and joy flooded Gabriel's expressive features and he lifted the puppy out of the box gingerly, holding it up to face level. The puppy licked his nose exuberantly, little paws waving in the air, as if he was trying to get closer to Gabriel. It was probably because he smelt like candy.

It wasn't long before Gabriel's new puppy was happily installed in Gabriel's home. They both lay on the floor with it, letting it scamper all over them, licking, biting and tugging. Sam winced, laughing as the puppy nibbled on his ear. "What're you going to name him?"

Gabriel frowned. The puppy, with its one black eye cocked its head at him and yapped. Gabriel snickered and scratched its ear. "He looks like a pirate."

Sam looked closely. The puppy did indeed look like a pirate. "How about Calico Jack?"

The puppy sneezed. Gabriel chuckled. "I take that as a yes, Jack."

Sam decided it was about time he left. Dusting himself off, he stuffed his hands in his pocket. "I guess I should leave."

Gabriel pouted. "Already?"

"It's pretty late, Gabe." Sam smiled.

"Let me walk you to the door." Gabriel stood up, and Calico Jack scurried to his feet, nipping playfully at Gabriel's ankles.

At the front gate, Sam looked up at the stars and paused. "Wait, Sam!"

Gabriel having closed the door, effectively shutting the puppy in, was a few steps behind Sam.

"Yeah, Gabe?"

"Thank you." And with that, Gabriel took hold of Sam's collar and pulled him down for a kiss. Sam froze for a moment, but instinct told him to slip his arms around Gabriel and pull him in close.

"You're welcome Gabe." Sam pressed his lips to his friend's forehead. "Good night."

He walked home with a fuzzy feeling in his belly and a smile on his lips.

The next day, Sam was positively itching to have lunch with Gabriel and when the other man did show up, he smelt of dog and his eyes had slight shadows beneath them, but he looked happy.

At first, Sam had been unsure of the protocol especially after what happened last night, but when he saw Gabriel those worries melted away. Gabriel happily melted into Sam's arms in their waiting room, while Kasey looked on with half surprise and half amusement.

"Hey Gabe." Sam took a step back and looked at the other man. He'd recognize those signs any day. It was the look of a happy, exhausted parent.

Sam clucked in mock disapproval. "You didn't do the puppy training did you Gabe?"

Gabriel at least managed to look abashed. "I couldn't, Sam. He was crying all night, so I just let him curl up in bed for one night…"

"He's never going to use that doggie bed, is he?"

Gabriel smirked. "Probably not."

A month passed by in a blur for Sam. He still had lunch with Gabriel most days, and on Sundays they took Calico Jack to the dog park for training. He was hard to train, but intelligent. Sam sometimes suspected the puppy enjoyed making them chase after him then finally doing the trick when they least expected it. He wrote about Gabriel and Calico Jack a lot in his book. It was taking a kind of weird turn and Sam just went along with it.

He was sitting in his office one morning, chuckling to himself as he reread a passage about Calico Jack.

'Gabriel and I decided the very first trick we were going to teach the puppy would be to sit on command. Gabriel pulled out a huge plastic bag of treats. Jack just looked at it really slyly; he'd never looked more like a pirate in that moment. The next thing I knew, Jack had sprung up and latched his jaws onto a corner of the bag. Gabriel instinctively jerked the bag away but that had been the wrong move. The bag tore open and the momentum released a shower of yummy dog treats into the air. Gabriel stood there with absolute horror on his face as all the dogs in the immediate vicinity galloped towards us. From then on, whenever the dogs sighted us in the park, they always gave us this hopeful yet predatory glance. Calico Jack, strutting proudly in front of us, seemed to be ridiculously smug about living up to his name as the baddest, plundering pirate-dog of Lawrence Dog Park.'

His phone rang out of the blue, making Sam swear as he jerked up, hitting his knees on the bottom of his desk. Scowling, he grabbed the phone. "Yes?" He said, somewhat snippily.

"It's your brother on the line, Sam."

Sam rubbed his eyes. "Alright, put him on."

"Sammy, Dad's in the hospital." Worry bled into Dean's voice as Sam froze.

"What? Is he okay?"

"He's had a heart attack, Sam." Dean's voice was harsh with concern. "Get here quick."


	4. Chapter 4

When Dean hung up, Sam felt completely lost. As a vet, he was conditioned to handle bad situations calmly, but his palms felt clammy and there was an unpleasant emptiness in his stomach. He managed to pull himself together enough to grab his coat, and run out the door.

"Kasey...close up. I won't be back for the next week." Sam yelled to his assistant as he fled from the clinic. It didn't take him long to reach his father's room.

"Thank god, Sammy." Dean had been leaning against the wall outside John's room, his arms folded, but when he saw Sam, relief flooded his green eyes. He patted Sam's back and followed him inside.

Sam could've punched his brother. He had made John's situation seem a lot more dire than it actually was. It was serious, but it could've been a lot worse. Sam checked the chart hanging on the edge of the cold hospital bed. "All your vitals seem fine, Dad. What'd the doctor say?"

Dean poured out a glass of water and handed it to John, who grasped the glass and rolled his eyes at his sons. "I'm fine boys. It was just a little heart attack."

Dean glared at him. "You could've died, Dad. The doc said it was one of those freak accident things. That it could've happened to anyone."

"Dean's right Dad. I think you should take it easy for a while. Maybe it's time to sell the business?" Sam suggested. Their father owned and operated a garage.

"That's out of the question, Sam." John gazed at them, every bit as stubborn as his offspring.

"C'mon Dad, Bobby's been wanting to buy that thing from you for years." Dean pointed out, concern furrowing his brow.

"If you're not going to sell it, at least let him take over for the next couple weeks while you get better." Sam persuaded his father.

Reluctantly, John gave in. "Fine."

"Dean?" The three Winchesters looked straight at the newcomer.

"Cas!" Dean grinned, and started towards the other man, who was in his usual suit and trenchcoat ensemble, but then shot a hunted look at Sam. Sam simply turned to John and began an animated conversation about Calico Jack. John had become rather partial to the little thing. He'd been at Sam's place when Gabriel brought him over, and he'd played with the puppy for hours while Sam and Gabriel sipped tea and spoke (stealing kisses now and again when they were sure they were out of sight). Sam was sure John knew about him and Gabriel but it was one conversation he didn't want to have with his father.

Sam paused and cast a look at Dean who was chattering excitedly to Castiel. Dean had described Castiel as one who didn't know the meaning of personal space, but right now, Dean's personal space seemed to be of no import. He guessed that dinner at his place had borne some sort of fruit as Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel and kissed his forehead.

"Finally." Sam whispered to his father.

"Speak for yourself," John grumbled good-naturedly.

"C'mon old man, I went for Gabe a lot faster than these two did."

"I bet Gabriel made the first move." John winked, almost indecently.

Sam's face morphed into a moderately bitchy bitch face. "I am so not having this conversation with you." Sam looked at his dad fondly. It had taken them a better part of five years to get to where they were now. Jess' death had been a huge part of it. His father had wanted him to stay in Lawrence, close to the family, but Sam had had his heart set on Veterinary Science at Stanford. They'd had a huge fight the night he left, but he'd still stayed in touch with Dean. When Dean informed their father of Jess' death and of her significance to Sam, John had reached out first. Five years later, Sam was glad they'd got to where they were now. It had never once been easy what with the bouts of depression and alcoholism, but they'd made it through.

"I'll close up the clinic for two weeks. By then you'll be out of bed, but until then, I'm going to be right here, Dad."

John's fingers curled around his son's shoulders and squeezed. "Thanks Sammy." He told him gruffly.

"By the way, he did."

John's face was blank. "Who did what?"

"Gabriel made the first move." Sam's cheeks heated.

The corner of John's lips quirked up in a half-smile and he snickered at Sam. "That kid's got more guts than you and your brother put together."

Sam swelled with pride. "Yes. Yes he does."

Sam ran up the stairs to his guest bedroom, holding the tray with both hands, willing it not to fall.

"Here you go, Dad." Sam heaved a heavy tray filled with whole wheat toast, two oranges, and a glass of milk carefully onto his dad's lap. "Breakfast in bed."

John made a face and poked at the whole wheat toast. "What is this? Cardboard?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Eat it, it's good for you."

"Can't I have some eggs and bacon?"

"Heart attack Dad? Remember?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Like I could forget." John mumbled, irritably.

"Listen, you only have to stay in bed for a week okay?" Sam tidied up, stacking books on the bedside table, and clearing old glasses. "After that, you have to walk, be active and do stuff."

"I can't wait." John groaned.

The bell rang once, and Sam straightened up. He wasn't expecting anybody, since Dean was at work. It was Gabriel with Calico Jack at his feet, looking worried as hell.

"Jesus, Sam!" Gabriel wrapped his arms around Sam's lanky frame and buried his nose in Sam's t-shirt. "I couldn't reach you all of yesterday! You weren't around for lunch, and the clinic was closed."

"Don't you have work, Gabe?" Sam stroked the smaller man's hair.

Gabriel pulled back, his eyes narrowed. "It's a Saturday, Sam."

"Oh. Right." Sam sighed. "Shit, Gabe, I'm sorry I didn't call. My dad had a heart attack, and I had to go to the hospital."

"Is he okay?" Gabriel asked, his forehead creasing.

"Yeah, he's fine! But the doctor prescribed a week of bed-rest so I'm closing up the clinic until the Monday after next."

"Well, I'm free for the weekend, so I can help." Gabriel grinned cheerily, and walked right in, Jack strutting ahead of him.

"Gabriel," Sam smiled at his boyfriend. "You don't have to."

"I know." was pretty much all Gabriel said as he bounded up the stairs to see John. Sam followed him, grateful for the company.

"Hey John." Gabriel unclipped Calico Jack and the little dog bounced onto the bed and into John's arms.

"Hi Gabriel." John grinned at the wriggling mass of fur. "I see you brought the little devil."

"Behave yourself Jack!" The puppy gave him a wounded look, like he was insulted at even being warned like that, and Gabriel took Sam's hand. "C'mon, let's leave those two to bond."

At the foot of the stairs, Sam tipped Gabriel's head back with his hands and leaned in, kissing him chastely. He had just realized how much he had missed Gabriel and it felt like he was home again, being back in his arms. Gabriel grabbed fistfuls of Sam's t-shirt, pulling him closer, licking into his mouth. Sam gasped, his fingers knotting in Gabriel's hair, as he deepened the kiss. After a moment, Gabriel pulled away. Sam stared down at his lover's face, with the slightly swollen, pink lips and wide golden eyes and decided he could probably stare at that forever and never tire of it.

He placed one last chaste kissed on those sweet lips. "I missed you."

Laughter bubbled up from deep within Gabriel, his entire body vibrating in Sam's arms. "I can see that!"

Gabriel spent the whole weekend there, telling John the most outrageous stories while he lay in bed, sputtering helplessly with mirth. He helped Sam do the dishes after meals, and cuddled with him late at night when he got tired. Dean came over and stayed there the whole of Sunday taking care of John. The three of them watched movies, and by dinnertime, Castiel had joined them too. Sam went to bed each night holding Gabriel, his nose buried in his soft, strawberry-scented hair, after they'd made love as quietly as possible, feeling utterly at peace with the world. Gabriel, like a cotton candy whirlwind, had brought such love and laughter into his life that he had never thought possible.

One morning, Gabriel was rushing around in the morning, his hair messy and his eyes wild. "Sam! I can't find Loki's dog tag."

Sam was still half asleep. "Gabriel, aren't you late for work?"

"Yeah, but I can't find his dog tag! It's gotta be around here somewhere!"

"Look Gabriel, you need to go to work." Sam got out of bed, and steadied the shorter man. "I'll look for it, and you get to work. Don't worry I'll find it."

After ushering him out of the house, Sam searched his bedroom high and low, and found it under the bedside table. This time, he knew just what to do with it. He was waiting at the door for Gabriel when he got home. "Heya, Sammy." Gabriel pulled off his coat and kissed Sam. "What's with the grin?"

Sam bit his lips, holding out a chain with Loki's dog tag hanging off the end of it. "You won't lose it ever again."

Gabriel just gaped at him before crushing Sam to him, dragging his fingers through Sam's hair. "Sam, holy shit, you're perfect." Gabriel gave him a wicked smile and squeezed Sam's ass, making him gasp. "I'm getting you back for this later." (He did. In a very thorough way, in Sam's opinion.)

They spent every night together after Gabriel came back from work, and Sam realized on the last night of his father's bed-rest, that it was also the end of their blissful week. Gabriel was going back home. There was so much of his stuff here lying around, that Sam sometimes mistook their situation as permanent. Gabriel's toothbrush was lying next to his in his bathroom. Calico Jack's doggy food and doggy bowl lay in the corner of the kitchen floor like they'd always been there. He often forgot that Gabriel had his own life and he had to return to it. Sam wondered, if he wanted it to be a forever kind of gig. All this hit him, like an epiphany, as he lay in bed on his left arm, trying to burn Gabriel's features into his memory. Calico Jack lay at the foot of their bed, paws pumping furiously like he was chasing a bone in his dreams. Sam watched Gabriel's chest rise and fall, Loki's dog tag glinting on the chain around his neck, and he raised his eyes to Gabriel's face to find his lover watching him intently.

"What's up, Sasquatch?" That had been Gabriel's new nickname for him ever since they'd watched a documentary on it, and Gabriel had shaken his head saying that the documentary was wrong, and that the Sasquatch existed, and was sitting right beside him.

"I love you, Gabriel." The words slipped out of Sam's mouth almost unconsciously.

"I love you, too, Sasquatch." Gabriel took Sam's hand and kissed the inside of his wrist. Sam gazed down at him.

"You're leaving tomorrow."

"I won't if you want me to stay."

"I do." Sam slid down until his head was on Gabriel's chest. "I want you to stay."

Gabriel's heartbeat was steady and comforting. He felt real and solid, and Sam liked that. Gabriel pushed Sam's hazel brown hair away from his face. "All you had to do was say something, Sam."

Sam sat up and looked earnestly into Gabriel's surprised golden eyes. "Will you move in with me, Gabriel?"

"Are you sure, Sam? I mean it is pretty fast and-"

"I'm sure." Sam nodded, his heart thumping.

"Of course I'll move in, Sasquatch." Gabriel's hand slid to his waist and poked him in the only spot where he knew Sam was ticklish. Sam jumped and cast an evil look at Gabriel.

"You started this…" Sam moved in for the kill, and slipped his arms around Gabriel, effectively trapping him against Sam. Slowly, Sam trailed an index finger up Gabriel's spine. Gabriel squirmed, gasping, as Sam's finger slid up his spine then gently reached the nape of his neck. Gabriel exploded, squealing and pushing at Sam to get away, laughing hysterically all the way. Exhausted, Gabriel fell back against the bed. They had woken Jack who barked at them irritably, then circled and went back to sleep.

"He really is picking up Dad's bad habits." Sam observed.

Gabriel snickered. "Well, they do spend a lot of time together."

Sam pulled Gabriel into his arms. "Guess we should've seen it coming."

"Yep." Gabriel yawned and nuzzled into his neck.

They were asleep within minutes.

That night, Sam dreamt of Gabriel. He was walking along a huge white beach with a small child on his shoulders and a dog running around his feet. Even though Sam couldn't see the man's face, he knew it was Gabriel. He called out, but just before the man could turn he woke up. It was still dark and Gabriel was snoring next to him. Years later, Gabriel would insist that Sam's dream had been prophetic to which Sam would argue that it was Sam's greatest desire manifesting itself, but in that moment, Sam looked at Gabriel's sleeping form and knew that he saw a future with this man. Then he rested his nose against Gabriel's hair and fell fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

/Hey! It's the last chapter xD Too bad, I was having soooo much fun with this one. All schmoopy and fluffy and awwww. Anyway please R&R, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Thanks for sticking with me this far. I'm now at a loss for what to write, so if you have any suggestions, please tell me ^^/

2 years later

Dr Sam Winchester.

Sam smiled at the nameplate on his door fondly as he hung up his coat by the rack at the end of the waiting room.

"Dr Winchester!" A young, fresh-faced man greeted him, straightening from where he'd been casually flirting with Kasey.

"It's Sam, James."

"Right, Sam." James gave him a quick grin, throwing a cool wink at Kasey. Sam shook his head amicably as he entered his examining room, and pulled on his white coat. He'd hired James Abbey, an innovative, charming newbie straight from his internship program at Sam's clinic and so far, in the month he had been working here, he'd been a refreshing addition to his miniscule staff.

"Mr Carnaby!" Sam shook the hand of the elderly man who came into the examining room with his frisky little English Bulldog, Stacey.

"Hello, Dr Winchester." Nicholas Carnaby favoured Sam with a mostly toothless smile. "I've brought Stacey in for her bi-annual check-up."

"Wonderful, Mr Carnaby. She looks great." Sam patted the table, making noises of encouragement as Stacey jumped up. She'd been in the clinic enough times to have picked up on what was expected of her. That and Sam always made a fuss of her every time she did it, so she was delighted to oblige. Her little tail wagged furiously as Sam stroked her back. Pulling on his disposable gloves, Sam gently roamed the dog's body, searching for any abnormalities, cysts or tumours. Finding nothing out of the blue, Sam checked her temperature (normal) and gave her the usual injections. "She seems to be a little low on vitamin C, Mr Carnaby. Her gums are slightly discoloured. You can get vitamin C tablets from Kasey. Just crush them into her chow three times a day, and they'll be back to their normal levels pretty quick."

"Thank you, Doctor." Mr Carnaby clipped the leash back onto Stacey's collar, and Sam watched them leave.

It was a fairly easy day for Sam, and one thing he could say about veterinary work, when it was simple and quick, it made Sam feel fantastic about his career choice. It made him feel like he was really doing something with his life. Sam pulled into the garage next to his house, the wheels of his SUV crunching on the gravel. Dean hated his car, thinking it heavy and clunky, but Sam loved it. Checking his mailbox, Sam's breath got caught in his throat. It seemed to be a very thick, brown envelope from his publisher.

'Don't tell me they rejected my manuscript.' Sam frowned, pulling it out and juggling his things in one hand while he opened the door. Absent-mindedly greeting Calico Jack as the now large dog planted his paws on Sam's stomach, Sam left his case on the couch and sat down, tearing open the envelope. "Why are you even here, buddy?" He asked his dog. "Shouldn't you be at Dad's?"

Sighing, he looked over at Jack who had curled up next to him on the couch, his muzzle on Sam's thigh, eyes staring up at him playful and expectant. Sam dug out his squeeze toy from under the couch and threw it across the room. Paws scrabbling on the hardwood floor, Jack dove for the toy, picked it up, and trotted out through the doggy door and into the backyard. Sam focused his attention on the package. He hadn't even let Gabriel read his finished manuscript, wanting it to remain a mystery until he had it published. Gabriel thought it was about the ups and downs of life as a vet; that was at least what Sam had been writing in the beginning anyway.

Sam gingerly pulled out the note from his agent first. It was handwritten, saying: Congrats, Sam! Delving into the package, Sam pulled out both the original, coffee stained manuscript as well as the paperback edition of his first book. Sam moved so quickly, it surprised even him. He ran for the phone and dialed Gabriel's number, book tucked carefully under his arm. Pressing it to his ear, he tapped his fingers impatiently against the kitchen counter, waiting for Gabriel to pick out.

"Gabriel!" Sam breathed into the phone when his boyfriend picked up.

Gabriel was immediately concerned. "What's wrong baby?"

"Where are you?"

"Almost home." Sam could hear him smile over the phone.

Hanging up, Sam bolted to the door and swung it open only to come face to face with Gabriel. He thrust the paperback into Gabriel's face, a huge goofy smile plastered on his face.

"I got published!" Sam grinned.

Gabriel's arm circled around Sam's waist, pulling their bodies as close together as they could get.

"Bring out the champagne! Let's celebrate!" Gabriel laughed. "Also, don't kill me, but I bought more chocolate."

Sam groaned. "Honey, we've run out of space. There's a whole shelf in the fridge and a kitchen drawer taken up solely by chocolate and sweets!"

Gabriel at least had the sense to look appropriately guilty and sheepish, but knew that Sam didn't care all that much right now.

"Let's go pick up Mary first, and then we can pop the champagne okay?" Gabriel kissed Sam's neck.

"Mmm." Sam pinched Gabriel's butt, earning a gasp of surprise for his efforts.

They drove over to pick up their year old adopted daughter, Mary from John's house. When John opened the door, Mary was hanging on Sam's father's hip, her sticky hands in his hair. John stared at them, then heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god you're here. I'm too old for this."

"You asked for this Dad." Sam laughed. "Also, you forgot to pick up Jack. Anyway, we have some good news."

John ushered them into his house where they sat down in the living room. The place looked like a Toys-R-Us had whirled through it, leaving toys everywhere. Mary continued tugging on John's hair, so Gabriel picked her up, bouncing her on his knee. "Is the dog okay? And what's the good news?"

"He's okay, Dad." Sam rolled his eyes. "He's got the backyard and a full water and food bowl so he's fine if not a little starved for company."

"I got my permit, John." Gabriel hugged his daughter closer to him. "I can now run my daycare centre at my house, and we sold the premises of my old daycare centre, to some pharmaceutical company."

"That's great, boys." John beamed at them. "Guess this means I won't see this little angel that often anymore."

"You'll still come over though, won't you?" Gabriel asked. "Mary'll want her grandpa around."

"Of course. I'll be moving into Dean and Castiel's house soon though. Once they adopt their son, Castiel will be quitting to run the household." John smiled.

Sam nodded. "Dean told me. Castiel made the decision after Dean got promoted to detective. It'll be good for you Dad, and we'll come over a lot."

"There's just one thing." Gabriel interjected, sharing a smile with Sam. "Part of the permit says we're not allowed to have any dogs around, and since you and Jack are such great pals, we were thinking…"

"Yes!" John grinned. "I'd love to take him, I mean, if he's got nowhere else to go."

"And, I got published." Sam blurted out.

His father leaned forward and clasped his shoulder tightly. "I'm proud of you, son."

"Thanks, Dad."

After a lot of hugs, and goodbyes, and gathering up of toys, the two happy parents got their crying bundle of joy quiet, and into the car, and drove home.

"Is she sleeping?" Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel who was standing at the foot of the crib, looking down at Mary.

"Yep." Gabriel whispered, leaning into Sam's touch. Calico Jack, having set up watch at Mary's side, curled up at the side of the room and rested his muzzle on his front paws, bright eyes alert and on guard.

"Look at that." Sam murmured fondly. "He's guarding her."

"Your father's going to love having him." Gabriel grinned, his hand wandering up, his palm pressing against Sam's cheek.

Sam nuzzled into his lover's hair with his nose and hummed.

"Now, to that celebration…" Gabriel turned around in Sam's arms and pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck making Sam buck forward into Gabriel's hips.

Sam waited until they were seated at the dining table with an open box of chocolates and a glass of champagne each, to slide his book over to Gabriel. "Have a read."

Gabriel shot an excited grin at Sam and picked up the book, reading the title aloud. "The Brightest Star."

Gabriel's brow raised inquisitively. "That's a weird name for a book about a vet."

"Just keep reading." Sam quivered with anticipation.

Gabriel flipped it open, and came to the dedication's page. "To the love of my life, Gabriel." Gabriel's golden eyes burned into Sam's, a soft smile playing on the lips he loved to kiss. "Oh, Sam."

Sam gently took the book and flipped to the last page.

"It was never about vets was it?" Gabriel teased him, with an accusatory glance.

Sam paused. "It was supposed to be, and then I met you." Sam shook his head, his lips curving upwards. "It just kind of happened."

Sam passed him the book, which was open at the last page. He watched his lover's eyes skim through, landing on the last paragraph.

'Gabriel's words on the fateful night I fell in love with him stuck with me ever since. I remember how beautiful he looked, so much so, it was almost out of this world. The moonlight was reflecting off his open, vulnerable face, and his eyes were so full of life and love, it was almost blinding. He told me that sometimes you looked at someone, and you saw something different. He described the feeling as looking at a sky full of stars and seeing one that's so freaking bright, that you forget about all the other stars. I knew in that moment, exactly what he meant. I didn't need to look at the sky. The brightest star burned with a fiery, pure white flame, like a stick of magnesium set on fire, and it was him. The brightest star was sitting right next to me, watching the stars. I thought, for a long time, that that was the moment, that I decided he belonged to me, now and for eternity, but I was wrong. That moment, when I looked at him, shining so bright, that was the moment that I became his. That was the instant where my heart and soul was irrevocably his, and that was the instant where my entire destiny became intertwined with his. There is no word to describe what I felt and still feel for him to this very day. All I know, is that he is mine, and I am his. Now and always.'

Gabriel's mouth had fallen open, his eyes wet. "Sam…"

"What can I say, Gabe? You're…" Sam hesitated. "You're my whole world. You and Mary. That's all I need."

Gabriel stood up, his chair scraping on the floor. For one awful, heartbeat moment, Sam thought it was too much. That he'd made his heart too open, too vulnerable and he was going to drive the other man away with his passion, his love. Then Gabriel slid into his lap, and Sam forgot everything in the heat of their kiss.

"You're my world too, Sasquatch. I've never loved anything more than you and Mary and this life we have together." Gabriel said softly, his hands cupping Sam's face. It filled Sam with awe and wonder to see the intensity of the love they shared. "You are both so perfect."

Gabriel kissed him then, and Sam kissed back with all that he had to give. He held nothing back, swallowing Gabriel's moans, twisting his fingers into Gabriel's soft hair. He tasted of champagne and chocolate and Gabriel. All the things Sam loved. Gabriel was home to him, and Sam had never felt more at peace with the world in his life before Gabriel. Sam gasped as Gabriel slid his shirt off, sliding his tongue over naked flesh.

"Shh." Gabriel giggled. "Don't wake the baby."

Sam chuckled. Quiet sex was a thing with them now.


End file.
